About the Owner

Mariah Hinds is a canine behavioral specialist and trainer with a highly regarded veterinarian and groomer referred private practice in the Orlando area. She uses positive reinforcement rather than relying on the old military style of punishment-oriented training. What has made Mariah so successful is her ability to communicate not only with dogs but also with their owners, teaching them to see things from a dog's point of view.

She began working with dogs at the age of eight and has been training for over 10 years. Mariah has certificates in puppy obedience to advanced dog obedience, along with extensive experience in dog aggression. Her vast knowledge of canine behavior has enabled her to achieve great success with her clients. Over the years, she has incorporated various techniques from many other respected trainers. She continues to advance her knowledge by attending workshops, subscribing to industry publications and reading books of note by other training and behavior experts in the field. She tailors training techniques to the individual dog and owner, utilizing insight into both humans and canines. And while she is committed to creating positive, long lasting results, she believes it is important to enjoy the process!

"What I love most about my work is to watch an owner of a "problem" dog learn how to communicate effectively with their dog. When they understand, the dog understands and amazing things happen!" –Mariah

Mission

To work throughout the community to develop better communication between owners and pets, working toward perfect canine etiquette in the pet population. Hopefully, resulting in fewer pets given up for adoption each year.

Training Style

When it comes to dog training, there are great debates over the type of method(s) to use. The most extreme sides are what the experts refer to as "positive reinforcement" and "negative reinforcement". In layman's terms, the positive reinforcement side says that you should reward (typically with treats) desired behavior/response and ignore any undesired behavior, and it should go away on its own, since the dog will try for the reward once it learns what you want. The negative side says that you should not use treats or any other reward other than praise and you should only give it once your dog complies. You get the dog to comply by repeatedly giving a command and then a correction (aka punishment) if it is not done correctly. A typical example is using a prong collar to pull on the dog's neck until he sits for you. Once he sits, you simply say "good sit". Trainers and behaviorists from each side insist their side works best for the dog and produces the best results. I am often asked which side I am on when I visit with clients for the first time. I say "neither".

First of all, no one method of training is going to be right for every dog. Also, it is different if you're working with a friendly little puppy vs. a big ferocious dog who has bitten several people and/or dogs before. You need to adjust your methods, your pace, and your tolerance differently for each dog you meet. I do believe in using treats as motivation for learning new behaviors or new commands. However, I do not believe in consistently offering treats for everything the dogs does. First, the dog should listen to you whether or not you have a treat in your hand. Even with a beef steak in your hand, a dog might choose to ignore you and run across the street to chase a squirrel - and get hit by a car on the way. Also, treats are not the only type of reward. Walks, meals, toys, visits on the couch and even affection are also rewards. I like using all of these opportunities to train a dog and allow him to use his brain and be challenged. That said, I do not believe rewards are mandatory. Imagine raising a child this way: "Johnny, if you do your homework, I'll give you $20." "Suzy, if you make your bed, I'll buy you a new toy." That would create a very spoiled child who will not do exceptionally well in school or life. Instead, most people create longer term rewards, such as "If you get a good grades this semester, we'll give you a present". And, most parents also introduce repercussions for not complying- "If you do not do your homework, you do not get to watch TV". I believe this is the same way we need to raise our dogs. They need to understand that if they listen, they will probably get rewarded but, if they do not, they will get in trouble.

In nature, the mother dog bites a pup on the neck when he does something wrong and the pup stops. The Alpha dog corrects the same way. There are no cookies for doing it their way. You either do what they want... or else. There needs to be a clear message of "this is good" and "this is a mistake or bad" when training a dog. The more clear you are, the better trained the dog will be and the more confident and responsive he will be as well. Aggression cases need to be handled by behaviorists who understand operant conditioning and explain and perform it properly with their clients. I've had many clients try unsuccessfully to work with a positive reinforcement trainer who just wants to dish out treats, and their dogs make no progress - or even get worse. These dogs need very careful and precise guidance. So, if your dog is showing signs of aggression, make sure you work with someone who has a successful track record and true understanding of canine behavior. To summarize, I cannot be defined as primarily using "positive reinforcement" or "negative reinforcement". But when asked to describe my style, I usually say I try positive reinforcement whenever possible, but I train dogs as you would raise a child. I introduce negative consequences that are gentle and humane when necessary to ensure compliance and, ultimately, the safety of your precious family member.